Last month’s IMCA Global Summit in Kuala Lumpur and the IMCA Awards served as a platform to showcase the work that is helping set the industry’s direction in these changing times. The winners of the 2025 IMCA Awards, demonstrated practical progress in core areas that matter most to marine operations globally. Through safety, environmental sustainability, innovation and people development, these projects reflect the evolving priorities and performance expectations of the sector.
Health and Safety Project of the Year – Saipem for Fail Safe with Human Performance
Fail Safe with Human Performance is a multi-year programme embedding Human Performance principles and a “Fail Safe” mindset across the organisation. Inspired by Dr. Todd Conklin’s Five Principles, it promotes learning, resilience, and proactive safeguards, shifting focus from “Fail Lucky” to “Fail Safe” outcomes. Through an award-winning film named “Fail Safe”, workshops, and global training, it encourages open dialogue, strengthens barriers, and positions Saipem as a pioneer in safety innovation and culture transformation by going beyond statistics, focusing on human behaviour and learning from experience to reduce risk. It is designed to build a culture where safety is embedded into every aspect of work.
Environmental Sustainability Project of the Year – RWE for SeaMe
RWE’s SeaMe pioneering project at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany uses non-invasive techniques to monitor marine biodiversity, including AI-powered underwater cameras, drones, and environmental DNA sampling. The project replaces traditional ship-based surveys with automated, low-impact methods, providing a more comprehensive view of marine life while reducing emissions and noise pollution.
It also takes a holistic approach, integrating data on organisms and their environment to understand interactions and detect ecological stressors. The project demonstrates how offshore wind operations can coexist with marine conservation.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Project of the Year – BSM for OceanOpt
BSM’s OceanOpt, is a pioneering emissions management platform transforming maritime decarbonisation and compliance by automating regulatory reporting for IMO DCS, EU MRV, EU ETS, and FuelEU, reducing manual risk and boosting accuracy.
Beyond compliance, OceanOpt drives sustainability by optimising emissions, cutting costs, and supporting IMO 2030 and 2050 goals. Key features include integration with verifiers and registries, voyage optimisation, biofuel simulations, the FuelEU Pooling Marketplace, and targeted decarbonisation training for crews and managers.
Iain Grainger
The submissions demonstrated verifiable progress in areas fundamental to the future of marine contracting. The awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership, recognising the people and projects that are setting new benchmarks for the sector and we're so glad to see our Members embrace them so wholeheartedly.
Innovation and Technology Project of the Year – Interocean for Digital Asset Management
Interocean received the Innovation and Technology Project of the Year award for its Digital Asset Management (iDAMS) project. The initiative combines 3D scanning, unmanned aerial inspections, and predictive models to improve asset integrity, reduce risk, and cut operational costs. Already delivering over 15% maintenance savings and up to 50% fewer failures, it boosts safety by removing the need for hazardous confined-space entry. With strong client and industry endorsement, including ICAS approvals for UAV UTM, the solution sets a new benchmark for efficient, sustainable, tech-enabled marine asset management.
People Development Project of the Year – McDermott for Workforce Development in Malaysia
McDermott’s workforce development programmes in Malaysia were the clear winner in this category, for their expansion of local engineering talent and leadership capacity through structured graduate schemes and other career programmes. The initiative demonstrates the strategic value of developing people to support long-term organisational growth.
Rising Star Award – Sherifa Yousif Abdulla, ADNOC
The Rising Star Award was presented to Sherifa Yousif Abdulla, the first Emirati female officer in ADNOC’s commercial fleet who was honoured for her strong operational competence, leadership, and who has now become recognised as a role model for the next generation of marine contractors.
Iain Grainger, IMCA CEO, "the submissions demonstrated verifiable progress in areas fundamental to the future of marine contracting. The awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and leadership, recognising the people and projects that are setting new benchmarks for the sector and we're so glad to see our Members embrace them so wholeheartedly."
Next year the awards will feature additional categories, more information on which will be revealed in the new year.